Eagles travel to Richmond to face EKU on Saturday night

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MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Morehead State men's basketball team travels to Richmond, Ky. on Saturday for the first of two match-ups with rival Eastern Kentucky. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. ET and the game will be a part of Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Awareness Week.

The Eagles enter the contest at 11-9 overall and 5-3 in the OVC after downing Austin Peay on Wednesday night, 75-65.

Morehead State utilized a balanced attack to down the Governors as five players scored in double figures, led by junior guard Xavier Moon's 16. They had six players record at least three rebounds and shot a season-high 55 percent on the game and 63 percent in the second half.

A balanced attack has been the motto of this team all year long as six players are averaging at least 8.0 points per game.

Senior guard Brent Arrington recorded a career-high 11 assists in the win and the Eagles assisted on 22 of 33 buckets. Arrington's previous career high was seven assists vs. UT Martin earlier this season.

They outscored the Govs, 48-27, in the paint and in the last two games have outscored their opponents, 82-37, down low. On the season, the Eagles are outscoring their opponents in the paint, 636-508.

Moon, who was named OVC Newcomer of the Week for his performances last week, continued his hot scoring with a team-high 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting. He scored a career-high 24 points in the win over TTU and followed that with a team-high 22 against JSU. He had 17 second half points against TTU, which followed a 17-point first half performance at EIU.

He ranks second on the team with 10.4 points per game and 27 made three-pointers. He is shooting 46.3 percent from deep, which leads the OVC. After scoring in double digits just three times through his first 16 games, he has 16 or more points in his last four contests. He is averaging 19.8 points in those four games, while shooting 64 percent overall. He has shot 11-of-20 from deep during that span.

After failing to score double digits in his first nine games, senior forward Anthony Elechi has scored in double digits in eight of his last 11. He scored a career-high 18 points at SIUE, all of which came in the second half and overtime. He recorded his first double-double of the year with 15 points and a career-high 14 rebounds vs. TTU. His 14 rebounds are the most by an Eagle this year. He is shooting 57 percent on the season and is averaging 8.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 18.2 minutes. His +/- of +140 is best on the team.

The Eagles are allowing 66.7 points per game, which ranks first in the OVC and just outside the top 50 in the country. Opponents are shooting just 42.7 percent, which ranks third in the OVC. After allowing 46 points in wins over Southern Miss, 61-46, and Saint Louis, 60-46, the Eagles were tied with Louisville for the nation's best scoring defense.

In their 11 wins, they are allowing 58.6 points per game. They have allowed 76.6 points in their nine losses.

The Colonels are 12-11 overall and 3-5 in the OVC. EKU ranks ninth in the OVC with an RPI of 252. They've lost four of their last five games and their three wins in the OVC are at Austin Peay (79-70), and at home against SEMO (88-69) and Jacksonville State (91-88). EKU had two common non-conference opponents with Morehead State, falling at Marshall (96-72) and losing at ETSU (87-81).

The Colonels are one of the best scoring teams in the OVC, ranking second in scoring with 81.8 points per game, second in FG % at 49.5 and first in three-point percentage at 39.1. They are led by senior forward Jarelle Reischel, who ranks first in the OVC with 19.4 points per game, and he leads the Colonels with 7.3 rebounds, 33 made threes, and 38 steals.

Eastern Kentucky owns a 108-76 all-time advantage against Morehead State. The road team had won each of the last four games in the series, until EKU won at home last year (EKU 69, MSU 57) and swept the season series in the process.

The game will broadcast on the Eagle Sports Radio Network with Chuck Mraz and Jason Blanton calling all of the action. The radio network includes WIVY-96.3 FM and several affiliates throughout eastern Kentucky. A live audio stream can be found on MSUEagles.com and the Eagle Empire app.